Teachers’ code-switching in English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction: Perceptions of selected secondary school learners in Zimbabwe

Abstract

The study explored perceptions of secondary school learners of English on code-switching by teachers in the teaching of English. The qualitative inquiry focused on one rural day, and one urban boarding school. The study employed focus group discussions with groups of ten Form One and ten Form Three English learners per school. Results show that from the perspective of the learners, their ESL teachers code-switched from English to the learners’ L1 as a teaching and learning tool, mainly to foster understanding among learners and between the learners and their teachers, and for other communicative functions.  The majority of the learners expressed an appreciation of their teachers’ code-switching but there were also negative sentiments. The study recommends that language policy planners revisit the English-only policy in the school and consider adopting the endo-normative rather than the exo-normative model of English for the education system. The study also recommends that the Ministry Education should hold workshops to sensitise teachers on how code-switching may best be employed as an instructional tool. Furthermore, the study recommends that ESL teachers be guided by the Postmethod pedagogy, a sense of plausibility as well as the notion of relativism in their decisions on code-switching. In addition, the inquiry recommends that the Zimbabwe Schools Examinations Council be sensitive to aspects of the local variety of English rather than set exo-normative models. Finally, the study recommends that further research be done on code-switching in school types which were not included in the sample for the present study.